Up to now, combat medicine and disaster medicine training has mostly taken place at a temporary complex in Raadi, while rehabilitation training has been conducted at the Seli mõis (manor) in central Estonia.

Combat medicine supply warehouses have been located in separate locations also.

The commander of the combat and disaster medicine center (Sõja- ja katastroofimeditsiinikeskus), Lt Valter Voomets, said the department "has been eagerly awaiting a new building for a very long time."

"The center's training volumes have risen year by year, so we can no longer fit into the existing infrastructure. Last year, over than 2,500 people studied with us, making it important to be able to offer all students and teachers the most modern and comfortable learning environment that we can," he went on.

Voomets added that the new building will boast the largest simulation hall in the Baltics, which can be adapted according to training to include realistic conditions, including with the use of sound, lighting and even smoke, for various scenarios.

"The new learning environment will certainly be a boost to the motivation of all students and trainers, and will serve to support the achievement of the optimal results," he went on.

The four-storey, nearly 8,000-square-meter educational facility will suit the Estonian National Defence College (Kaitseväe Akadeemia) and the Baltic Defense College, both located in Tartu, while a catering complex is to be built too. The building will also have scope for accommodation for patients in rehabilitation and for those participating in training exercises

Construction firm Embach Ehitus OÜ, part of the Nordecon AS group, has been awarded the tender.

The design-build contract is worth €15 million exclusive of VAT; the deadline for completion is 18 months from commencement.

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